30 January 2007
As the world remains on high alert to the threat of terror attacks, the attention of engineers has turned to building safety.
A new study at Monash University hopes to reduce the human toll of bomb blasts by investigating the shatter mechanism of glass. The work ultimately may assist engineers to develop a more blast-resistant form of glass.
Dr Luming Shen, from the Faculty of Engineering, has started a three-year study that aims to better understand how and why glass shatters under impact.
Modern buildings make extensive use of glass, which means that most bomb casualties are caused by flying shards of glass, Dr Shen says.
When a domestic terrorist bombed a US government building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people, more than 60 per cent of survivors were injured by glass fragments.
"Most injuries from bomb explosions can be attributed to shattering glass, so if we can reduce the amount of flying glass fragments, hopefully we can save a lot of lives and prevent human injuries," he says.
Dr Shen and his research partner, Professor Zhen Chen, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, in the United States, are combining atomistic simulation and macroscopic modelling, in a multi-scale simulation. It is the first time such a study has been undertaken.
Although there are alternatives to help make glass blast-resistant, including laminated or toughened glass, bomb-blast net curtains and an adhesive polyester anti-shatter film, Dr Shen's research may ultimately lead to the development of a more effective, transparent blast-resistant material.
Dr Shen can be contacted on +61 3 9905 4958. For further information contact John Watts on +61 3 9905 9201 or 0448 574 148.
| 
